A number of local authorities are choosing to keep the centre of some roads clear after resurfacing work in a bid to encourage drivers to slow down.

And highways chiefs in Norfolk are in discussions with the Department for Transport (DfT) over funding a £300,000 project to reduce the speed limit across a large stretch of road, which could involve white line removal.

Norfolk County Council wants to reduce the speed limit on highways north of the A148 between King’s Lynn and Cromer to 40mph, including areas near the Queen’s Sandringham estate.

It has already removed lines on a number of roads, including Cliff Parade in Hunstanton.

The stretch of road after Hillington on the A148. Picture: Matthew Usher.

Tracy Jessop, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said officials found that taking away lines has had a positive impact because drivers become “more aware of the environment around them”.

She said: “By removing their lane, drivers no longer have a sense that ‘this space belongs to me’.

“They are more aware they have to share it and be more mindful of other road users. We do know that the average traffic speeds are reduced.”

She added that the council had removed white lines for the last 15 years.

“It can work well on certain quieter roads which already enjoy lower traffic speeds.

“Fewer road markings can improve street safety for everyone by making drivers more cautious, increasing awareness and lowering speeds.

“We’re in discussions with the Department for Transport on a scheme which would see a blanket reduction in speed limits to 40mph across an area of North Norfolk and part of this proposed scheme would include the removal of the centre white line on some narrower roads.”

The area for the scheme is the A148 from Sandringham to Sheringham and the A149 from Sandringham up to Hunstanton.

The preliminary cost estimate of the pilot scheme is £300,000. If successful, potential annual accident savings of around £1m are anticipated.

TfL carried out a pilot scheme to scrub out the centre lines on three A roads in London in 2014. The results from the initiative at Wickham Road and Brighton Road, both in Croydon, and Haringey’s Seven Sisters Road, found that vehicle speeds decreased by up to 13% without the lines.

But Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, warned that “we have to get the balance right” and said elderly drivers may suffer as a consequence of line removal.

“Most deaths in the UK take place on rural single carriageways and white lining is a key tool in the road designers’ armoury and should remain as an option to treat routes with a poor record,” he said.

“Throw in the need for new connected cars to be able to read the road and the vision needs of an ageing driving population and the case for white lines is still very strong.”

Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA, called for road markings to be increased rather than decreased because they place a “vital role” in safety.

He said: “Far from talking their use down we should be talking it up. They have a vital role in keeping road users safe.

“Of course there should be places where they can be dispensed with and this has largely worked, but unlike road signs, markings are already less intrusive but still help road users.”

Official guidance from the DfT states that road markings serve a “very important function” and “make a vital contribution to safety”.

Alan Bristow, director of road space management at TfL, said the results of its pilot scheme were “positive” but noted there are no plans for “any widespread removal of road markings”.

So many comments on here about drivers being on the 'wrong' side of the road - there is no 'wrong' side of the road unless confronted by double unbroken white lines or or where an unbroken white line is nearest to the left hand side of the road. If not so marked the whole of the road is available for use by all road users in whichever direction they are travelling and in many cases driving on the, perceived, 'wrong' side of the road can be preferable, and safer, as it gives a far better view of any potential hazard to the approaching driverrider, particularly on approaching a left hand bend. Many people drive poorly because they believe they are umbilically chained to 'their' side of the road and give themselves a very poor view into approaching hazards.

2 words sum this up "Stupid woman" you need white lines for so many different reasons but safety is the main one. I have been so grateful in bad weather to have the white lines in my headlights especially in fog! Probably another ruse to save money on paint.........

Might have known that any radical idea would be met with ridicule by what are mostly amateurs. I frequently drive on a roads that haven't got a trace of paint. Low Road, Drayton is a prime example. What a surprise, then, that people don't go bashing into each other. Or are you critics incapable of driving on such roads? Don't tell me, it's the others that can't.

Removing white lines is just the first move to removing some roads completely. Contributor, Suffin Else, noted that the A148 did not go to Sheringham. Heshe, with either foresight or a stumble, hit upon Tracy Jessops greater plan for Norfolk. Why have two roads going between the same places? In future only the A148 will be the route between Hunstanton and Sheringham. It will be extended to start at Kings Lynn and end at Great Yarmouth. This was to be a multilane highway, but as no white paint, cats eyes are allowed it will be one wide stretch of tarmac where drivers, cautious and those inclined to be less so may freely roam, weaving past cars at will. This will be the only road financially supported and with be known as The Tracy Jessop Ultra Highway. All roads between the the highway and the coast will be definanced (an accountancy term for being left to go back to nature). The same will be for all roads in a 20 mile width band on the landside of the highway. To complete the overall plan, development of high rise flats, to be known as lokes(to keep a Norfolk touch) in the sky also shining bright glass, preferably blue glass, and steel sky skyscapers will be built along the entire length. In 50 years Tracy's dream of bringing Croydon to Norfolk will have been fulfilled.

A fewf further thoughts. If Tracy goes on holiday to the USA, she will find many road junctions in urban areas do not have traffic lights or roundabouts. Will she try to implement that too? They also have far fewer speed humps and other traffic calming measures because they like to keep traffic moving. One last thought, have they run out of red paint they like to put all over roads? I do hope so!

What's interesting is that the trials have been done on urban roads with a 30mph limit or lower. They've shown a reduction of up to 8mph in average speeds. Tracey Jessop originally talked about removing the lines in village locations, not rural roads. How then did it get to being a swathe of north Norfolk roads with a current 60mph limit? Is this misreporting by Archant, or has Ms Jessop changed her minds? Don't forget, modern cars are fitted with "lane following" technology which relies on a camera seeing a white line to ensure the vehicle stays centralised. Remove the lines and these driver aids will stop and, given how much some drivers rely on aids (gps, anti-lock brakes, etc), I can see this leading to problems.

Whilst West and North Norfolk district councils are busy turning swathes of Norfolk into playgrounds for second homers and holiday makers, this pathetic excuse of a council officer is confusing exposed and isolated Norfolk rural roads with those in the centre of old Dutch towns. By all means remove white lines in the middle of villages which have 30mph limits-so long as you are sure the grocks can keep to their side of the road. But on the open road, with sea fog, freezing fog, driving rain-those of us who have to go about our business and our daily lives on Norfolks ill maintained roads ( and I include Highways agency roads) need all the help they can get. Banks and grups and passing places are ill maintained whereas in the past local road men would scrape them back and dig them out, the road surfaces are collapsing and crumbling all over A and B roads in the councils care whilst money has been diverted to vanity projects.All this person is doing is adding to her cv- there will be more , not fewer accidents. I suspect the speed and accident problem is a myth anyway created by those who thought they were moving to a fossil countryside, instead of one that is busy and working,The best way to highlight a need for speed restraint is to change the colour of the road surface in villages. I know this, when I drove the Downham to Swaffham road at night in dense freezing fog recently I was jolly glad of every cats eye and white line and the same applies in the rain at night meeting those blazing blue tinted headlights favoured by so many 4x 4s. Maybe those who make the suggestion to remove the lines should actually get out and do some driving.

Why thank you Moppet, I'm currently out in my horse drawn trap, with a wooden beaded seat cover and my heavy duty corduroy trousers, angora sweater, three coats and fur lined bonnet, whizzing along at a break neck speed of 10 MPH everyone is enjoying this as they show their appreciation by tooting their horns at me and waving sweetly as they pass by.

Celia, I have always been a fan of yours and I think we could work together to sort this out if I can just find a window in my busy life a pace car driver on Norfolks roads, I will contact you later when I get back from my next sortie out on the roads in my old Nissan Micra that I drive in my overcoat and driving gloves not to mention my trilby hat as I toodle around at a steady 30mph.
Nurse, do you want me to take my medication now?

Actually what a wonderful idea! I put this to my cat and she thinks it would be a splendid idea with one small change, dig all the roads up & close Norfolk off to all the "strangers" who want to come here and bring new thinking, you know things like indoor toilets and running hot water.

So basically the numbskulls plan to turn the clock back 100yrs!
Why not go a bit further and remove all those costly safety signs? Switch off the traffic lights that cost money to maintain and run, and let everyone have a free for all on the roads, as with this way of thinking everyone would be "mindful of their environment " and drive slower!
Perhaps reduce unemployment at the same time by bringing back the person walking in front with a RED FLAG!
What brain dead idiot actually thinks it's a move forward in the road safety scheme.
As we all know with Norfolk they'll remove them then 6 months later will be out putting them all back. Also not with spending ridiculous amounts of money on pointless new roundabouts just because they have them in Holland doesn't mean they'll work here! Along with all the cycle routes they've just wasted huge amounts of public money on, that I've yet to see used that also are, shall we say, NOT SAFE EITHER.
Time for a shake up and investigations into who is spending what on what and who's pocket is benefiting!

Don't panic folks I have come up with the perfect solution, after a chat with next doors cat lasting nearly four minutes for which I hasten to add I will not be charging the council for (Good of me I know)
Given that the council like one way streets so much we make all of Norfolk one way ie the A47 one way going east to west then the A148 and 149 one way going the other way. It might sound daft but just think, they could narrow the roads which they like doing so much and us all the tarmac they dig up to make some more speed bumps, O joy! This would stop all the danger of people overtaking at a stroke and just to spice things up reverse the system at midnight so everyone has chance to view our wonderful countryside from both directions.
Also close off some of those silly side roads and more danger will be elimiated, just think how much more fun it will be driving at a nice relaxed pace free of nearly all dangers from speeding traffic.
ps No need to thank me just think of it as my bit for a better Norfolk.

Fantastic idea lets have a free for all on roads why not , it's bad enough with them who knows without them, they do work and keep an orderly presence on the roads . There are more urgent matters that need sorting ,like far better and clearer signage , potholes sorted, and road safety concerns especially around cromer to holt area looked at.

Wow time flies, didn't realise it was April 1st already. If they have £300k to spend on road safety then their first priority should be to fill in all the potholes and resurface the many stretches of road that are badly worn.

Why not replace the white centre lines with lines that match the colour of the road surface? Then everyone will be happy. The white lines will have gone but for those who want a centre line, they will still have one.

Same Ms Jessop,who as Head of Norfolk's Passenger Transport Unit,oversaw the doomed Orbital Bus fiasco not so many moons ago if memory serves me right. 3years funding,squandered in 16months.
Nice to see how her career with the Council has progressed,because mine certainly did'nt..

If they go ahead with this then Tracy Jessop could be responsible for more RTCs and maybe 'fatals' unless she can absolutely GUARANTEE better, safer driving across Norfolk. In the meantime, looks like the council is fairly Normal for Norfolk. Apologies to a lot of Norfolk folk.

Hey , what about removing all lines , signs , and any other device or markings on all roads ?
this will help in two ways , save on repairs and create employment
All drivers could employ a person to walk in front with a flag and a bell
As some people walk faster they could charge a premium on their service , people would be fitter , more jobs created , less accidents as lower speed
HEADLINES . Mass brawl at Thickthorn as red flag bearers come to blows over right of way
Solution Just keep the white lines and cats eyes !!!!!!!

Personally I drive in Croydon and Norfolk most weeks and obviously the counties in-between and I see no similarity between the two. Different driving skills are needed on both types of roads in my humble opinion. I think the poll speaks for itself and don't think I have ever seen such a one sided argument for this notion to be scrapped and for TJ to take a long hard look at herself and the agenda.

BUT..... Looking at this on the flipside, Norfolk County Council would only remove white lines in accordance with the UK National Regulations, for which google search presented Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD for short). Other research and trials by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and Department for Transport (DfT) have been carried out. Maybe this isnt just a hairbrained idea thought up by a bored council employee. Could it also be perhaps that some of our roads already have too many signs and lines? Still, any old excuse for Archie to drum up the usual council kickers... This could become an olympic sport....

More empty headed foolishness. The dense freezing fog in parts of Norfolk recently should serve as a reminder as to why reflective white lines and cats eyes are invaluable not some twit's notion that we drive slower if we can't judge how wide the road is.

There are already too many drivers who overtake where the existing white lines prohibit overtaking. If the lines are taken away there will just be more people thinking they can overtake anywhere, particularly those not used to the level of agricultural traffic in the area. With a speed limit of 40mph how will anyone ever overtake a tractor safely? People who make these suggestions should spend time driving out on the roads in the countryside.

Idiotic idea. Have these monkeys been up Mousehold since it has been without lines?? Not only have they forced the oncoming traffic closer to each other, they have also removed the point of reference so the elderly and incompetent have no idea they are wandering around in and out of both lanes. Unbelievable. A huge step BACKWARDS.

All the removed unused white lines are rolled up and kept in a secret location in case there`s ever a shortage or they come back into fashion so we can sell them and make lots of money to buy you all bicycles ( i work for the council so don`t tell anyone)

Starston village had its white lines removed over 19 years ago as part of a package of measures to reduce speed by changing the motorists perception of the environment. This included removing signs, a red road surface through residential areas, a 20 limit, a designated (white lined) safe area for pedestrians to create a pinch point and much more. It worked and reduced traffic speeds by 5 mile an hour, but NCC failed to maintain any of the package of measures and last year put the final nail in the coffin by taking away the red road. Since then speeds, which are measured using the villages SAM device have increased. The most vulnerable members of the community, including children, older people and pedestrians are now at real risk again. Tracy Jessop should be better informed about the Starston scheme which was held up as a fine example by NCC 19 years ago and received national recognition. The current Starston evidence proves that removal of white lines ALONE does NOT reduce speed.

What a silly lady! "Tracy Jessop, the council’s assistant director for highways and transport, said officials found that taking away lines has had a positive impact because drivers become “more aware of the environment around them”.

Another crackers idea from a tree hugging pedal pusher , A47 at Dereham has grass growing in the middle , at Honingham just before the roadblock called a roundabout the cats eyes given up so have the lines , slight rain or snow it`s a total guess where you are . Also no lines on the A47 Easton roundabout , heading to Dereham its a king of the late brakers carve up special .
At least with lines people have a clue as to where to be now its just a free for all
How would this affect the insurance claims , er what was your road position prior to your collision sir ? . All over it , i think !!!

Perhaps they are thinking they could get a few bob for the lines they remove, anyone know where they could flog them? Also all that 40mph-- it will result with people nodding off through sheer boredom, we get enough of that speed getting caught behind tractors.

This council has lost the plot, we need more white lines to make roads look narrower in built up areas to slow people down. When drivers appear to be boxed into a smaller area they slow down, its an optical illusion and it works. We certainly need more white lines on country roads so drivers keep to their side. All to often I have to swerve to avoid drivers on the wrong side of the road.

Foolhardy and chaotic cost cutting gimmick.
Stop contemptible pretense of citing improved safety ... this is a reckless veiled attempt to save yet more roadway maintenance money.
Removing conspicuous control marks in the centre of the road which are suppose to already prompt genuine awareness as line lengthens and gaps shorten to denote a hazard ahead mocks a legacy of prudent safety.
Legitimate and lasting traffic safety learned the hard way over years and must not be forfeited now by a quick cost cutting ploy.
A broken white line is often the only control measure offering a sense of legal boundary for all road users to clearly demarcate objective lane usage if all goes right or apportion fair share blame when collisions occur because of subjective lane misuse.
No lines diminish driver responsibility to fully exercise satisfactory lane discipline.
Police budget cuts reducing traffic enforcement combined with this trick to irrationally reduce costs should infuriate all lawful road users and those who must pay Vehicle Excise Duty.

Absolute LUNACY already on C roads without white lines the tourists & old people drive down the middle of the road. The number of near misses I witness on a DAILY basis is beyond belief. If they're actively removing them they WILL kill people!!

Another brain wave from the team that gave us the Postwick Hub. By the way has anyone seen the numerous temporary 30mph speed limits springing up all over the place in readiness for the NDR. Soon it won`t be worthwhile getting the car out because it will take you so long to get where you are going you will have to turn round and come straight back home. I think we had all better get a dashcam if this goes ahead as our insurers won`t believe our tale of woe. Don`t they realise the nodding dog drivers who are busy texting rely on the white lines to tell them where they are, either in the gutter or in the middle of the road.

So the too-fast driver will think "the whole road belongs to me". Many times we are confronted by motorists travelling in the opposite direction cutting the bends because they are driving too fast - this proposal will encourage them to do this! A white line in the centre of the road is there for a reason. Will NCC ever see sense? It has also been shown by many studies that putting in extra white lines andor hatching (of increasing width?) encourages motorists to slow down. Another cost-saver designed to enhance someones position or pension possibly? NCC PLEASE listen to the safety organisations or pay (out of your salary or pensions) for the resulting havoc.

White lines do not just give an idea of where the centre of a road is at night and in bad weather, they also give an idea of where the left hand verge is. The state of some of the road edges in Norfolk means avoiding them isn't just sensible it's a safety essential. Removing the lines is a truly crackpot notion.

It also of course mean removing cats eyes which are universally credited with making our roads safer. Anyone driving at night or in bad weather will know how effective they are in making it safer for us all. This article skates over the proposal the intention to reduce speed limits to 40mph maximum.

Norfolk County Council should think about spending the £300,000 on replacing damaged or warn out cat's eyes.
Think Tracy Jessop should be finding herself an alternative career instead of coming up with ways to waste even more public money.

At moppet, I was going to say the same thing. Since they plunge our roads in darkness with no streetlights, I doubt very much this will improve safety. I have to ask what planet do these Council folk live on. They spend their highways department budget on roads to nowhere, close off streets to traffic, add in cycle lanes, practically mess about with every road in Norfolk, and they choose to save money with paint. How exasperating is that?

This is lunacy. The 4 wheel drive and white van brigades, when faced with no white line, will subconsciously say 'the whole of this road belongs to me' and will continue with their normal practice of negotiating with no-one. Its been a cynical suspicion of mine that this has been on the agenda for a while and only now do NCC Highways feel confident in their ability to bring in this crass form of what they laughingly call 'traffic management'. The joke was that the British drove on the left, the French on the right and the Mediterraneans down the middle. No longer a joke.

Remove white lines? There's many country, narrow lanes where white lines should be added. I live in constant fear around every corner of meeting a maniac driving in the middle or even over my side. Could think of many other ways for the pen pushers to save money. How about abolishing their massive HR departments?

Correction. "White lines will be removed from Norfolk roads to SAVE MONEY" I'm sure many (not all of us because I'm one of them) Audi and BMW drivers will be very mindful of Tracy Jessop's statement of “By removing their lane, drivers no longer have a sense that ‘this space belongs to me’ and will be falling over themselves to comply. Anyway, this, together with the near non existence of road traffic policing will I'm sure do much to contribute to the increasing anarchy on our roads.